BERNIE SCHREIBER

SCHREIBER

My heart goes out to everyone around the globe who has lost loved ones and been affected by the horrible Coronavirus, COVID-19. Going forward, I have had to hit the pause button my ‘Bucket List’ of competing in the Pre-65 Scottish. It’s a small price to pay, as I am sure you agree, in the bigger picture of this worldwide pandemic. Maybe I can return to Scotland for the Leven Valley Two Day Trial in September, we will see.

Ifirst visited Scotland in 1976 as a spectator at the SSDT to discover its uniqueness, but my first attempt at the event on the pegs was in 1977 when some experience was gained, and I finished as Best Newcomer. My second attempt was in 1980, which seemed much more difficult than 1977, but my ‘proven’ year was 1982, which was to become the first and only non-European ever to win.

The 2019 Leven Valley Two Day Trial was my first time in Kinlochleven since 1982, and my first experience riding in trials on a Pre-65 ‘British Made’ Triumph 350 Twin supplied by Martin Murphy. After that event, I was so inspired to ride the Pre-65 Scottish in 2020. I’m hoping to ride the famous Pipeline in 2020 at the trial in September. Scotland is a great place to be, with friendly people in a trials country full of traditional values and history.

In the meantime, we seem to have stopped hearing about positivity ever since the coronavirus outbreak tightened its grip on our societies; perhaps because some may consider that being positive, at a time when people are in solitary confinement, is unreasonable. It is well known that in every crisis, there is a winner and a loser, and the same applies to people. There are those who see the good things in the middle of crises though, and in our sport of overcoming difficult obstacles, it is what trials riders are taught to do.

Stay healthy, safe and feet up in the next months – Bernie.